White Denim w/ Mazes Live in Philadelphia (06/22/11)

It’s hard to begin this one because I don’t even know where to start. My thoughts were thrown on an emotional roller coaster as WHITE DENIM were in town last night and the vibes of curiosity filled the air. For anybody who had never seen White Denim, it had been at least over a year since their last stop in Philadelphia. In other words, this show was long overdue and GOD DAMN did they make up for their missed time. Nobody in attendance went home upset and to anybody that didn’t show, I’m upset with you. To my friend who went home in the midst of the night (yes, I’m singling you out), I do not approve to say the absolute least.

The night began with the STATIC JACKS before MAZES took the stage, who happened to be on their very first tour of the United States. Unfortunately we missed the Jacks set but made it just in time for Mazes, some of whose performance you can see right below. There’s even more from their set which you can view right here.

Mazes – Surf + Turf/ Maths Tag –

Surf + Turf/ Maths Tag – Mazes played the opening band role perfectly, prepping everyone for what was sure to be a mind blowing performance from White Denim. I also think it’s safe to say that the crowd loved every minute of their set, proven by the fact that I didn’t think it was appropriate to leave without buying their record “A Thousand Heys“. Perhaps we’ll have more on that one later. Shortly after White Denim took the stage…

White Denim – It’s Him! –

It’s Him! – WD appropriately begin their set with the opening track from their new album “D” after a quick introductory build-up.

Burnished/ At the Farm –

Burnished/ At the Farm – They barely gave us any time to breathe by seamlessly moving into their next song, following the early stages of the “D” tracklist until the end of “At the Farm”. This is still early into the show when people were just beginning to wonder “How the fuck are they doing this?”

Anvil Everything –

Anvil Everything – Probably my personal highlight from the show. White Denim possess an absolutely stunning amount of pent up energy and a song like this will prove that for miles. The best part is they absolutely nailed it.

Bess St./ Shake Shake Shake –

Bess St./ Shake Shake Shake – WD cover another highlight from “D”, unexpectedly melding it together with a heaping chunk of the track “Shake Shake Shake” from their 2008 effort “Workout Holiday“. By this time in the show there’s not much I can say that respectfully illustrates show-goers thoughts. Simply put, White Denim are not from this planet.

I Start to Run –

I Start to Run – This one probably got the crowd moving more than any of the others, and rightfully so. A definite highlight from their 2009 album “Fits“, they also covered songs like “All Consolation”, “Say What You Want” and “El Hard Attack” throughout the night.

Drug –

Drug – This was the final song of their initial set before they came back for an entirely necessary encore, to which they played songs like “Don’t Look that Way At It”. You can view other videos of Mazes and White Denim from last night by checking our YouTube channel, where you’ll find “Tony Fatti” and a handful of others from Mazes.

All in all it was a lethally mind bending night and probably the most exciting and satisfying musical performance I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Needless to say, White Denim are experts at their craft and maintain skills of their instruments that some people may not even be able to fathom. As people filed out of Johnny Brenda’s I heard “the best show I have ever been to” multiple times. Everybody in attendance seemed to be in agreement, and I even think White Denim would concur. That is all for today. Check out these songs below and don’t forget to check out the rest of the videos here – if you’re lucky (and I feel up to the task) there may even more in due time.

4 thoughts on “White Denim w/ Mazes Live in Philadelphia (06/22/11)”

Great article… spot on. However, I would add that the person who knocked over the entire table of glasses on one visitor (me) was close to ruining a night. Thank god the music was so fantastic – I forgot about the boy who needed to freak out dancing by the time I left 🙂

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